Saturday, August 2, 2008

Fujio Akatsuka RIP

Japanese cartoonist Fujio Akatsuka passed away today at the age of 72. Sad but not unexpected; he has been in coma for few years now.

Chances are, you have no idea who I'm talking about, but Akatsuka-san was (and is) one of the most influencial 'mangaka' in Japan. His mangas are generally full of comedy and nonsense, which made them stand out in a crowd of "action" mangas that were a norm at the time. This is especially the case in his most well-known creation, Tensai Bakabon (Bakabon the Idiot Genius), which was about an insane father who embraced his idiotness (seriously).

Some of Bakabon stories were translated into English, but those are hard to find; they were only sold in a small number of stores in America. But if you find them, give it a read.